15 Minute Spicy Udon Stir Fry

This 15-Minute Spicy Udon Stir Fry proves that delicious doesn’t need to be time consuming! You can be enjoying this udon noodle recipe in just 15 minutes from start to finish.

I have always been a fan of udon noodles, especially the fresh ones. They’re like fat spaghetti, so they’re fun to eat and they also grab a great sauce like nothing else. I always have them in my pantry for nights when a quick and easy dinner is needed (or when the fridge needs to be cleaned out of odds and ends :) This udon noodle recipe is made in record time – just 15 minutes from start to finish.

This stir fry is a great base recipe, featuring just a basic collection of ingredients. Feel free to add in a protein like chicken, shrimp or pork, if you’d like a meatier meal. Extra vegetables, such as mushrooms, bell peppers, bean sprouts, shredded cabbage or just about anything else you have around would also be a great addition.

Cook’s Notes for 15-Minute Spicy Udon Stir Fry

As for the sauce, the Sambal Oelek is responsible for the spicy part of this stir-fry. If you’re not familiar with it, look for it in the Asian sauce section of your grocery. It’s fairly easy to find these days. Any spicy Asian-style sauce (Asian Chili Garlic Sauce/Sriracha etc.) will work though. If you’re not wanting it too spicy, start with 1 tsp. of the Sambal Oelek and work your way up, as needed. Sambal Oleek packs a punch, so a little goes a long way.

This recipe uses fresh (soft) udon noodles, that usually come packaged in individual packets. My brand (President’s Choice) has 4 individual packets that are 200g (7 oz.) each. I love them because they don’t need pre-cooking. I like to soak them in hot water ahead, so I can separate them before adding them to the wok, but that isn’t necessary if you’d like to skip that part. You can add soft udon noodles directly from the package to the wok.

If you want to try this using dried udon, you’ll obviously need to cook them before adding to the wok. You may also need to increase the sauce ingredients, as I suspect dried noodles might soak up a bit more that the fresh ones.

This recipe will serve 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish. To serve more, simply double the recipe!

15 Minute Spicy Udon and Vegetable Stir Fry

Course:
Main Course

Cuisine:
Asian

Keyword:
udon stir fry recipe, what to make with udon noodles

Prep Time:5minutes

Cook Time:10minutes

Total Time:15minutes

Servings:2people

Energy:310kcal

Author:Jennifer

This quick and easy recipe makes 2 main dish servings, or 4 servings as a side dish. If needing more, simply double the recipe. This is a great base recipe, that is ripe for addition add-ins. Chicken, shrimp or pork is a nice addition for a meal. Extra vegetables, such as mushrooms, bell peppers, bean sprouts, chopped cabbage or just about anything else you might have around would also be great.

Sauce:

For garnish:

Sesame seeds

Additional sliced green onion

1/4cupchopped parsley or cilantro

Instructions

Prepare your vegetables and set aside. Mix up the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. If you like, you can fill a large bowl with hot tap water and add udon noodles to the bowl to soak, so they can be separated before adding to the wok This isn't necessary though, as you can add fresh udon noodles directly from the package to the wok, if you prefer to skip this step.

In a large frying pan or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add carrots and cook, stirring for a minute or so. Add onions and cook, stirring, until onions are soft and carrots are tender. Add green onion and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or so.

If soaking udon noodles, gently stir to loosen udon noodles and separate, then drain. Add drained noodles (or unsoaked fresh noodleto the wok and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or so. Add sauce and cook for another 30 second, stirring to combine well. Scatter baby spinach over top and cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted.

Remove stir fry to a bowl or plate and garnish with sesame seeds, additional sliced green onion and parsley/cilantro.

Recipe Notes

Be sure to read the "Cook's Notes" in the original post, for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!

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86 Comments

Made this tonight for a quick pre-thunderstorm dinner. As is, the flavors are satisfying and 2tsp of the Sambal Olek is comfortable heat for me (and I love spicy!). Definitely adding this to my rotation :) Thanks for putting it out there!

I made this recipe tonight. Came upon it while doing a google search for ‘udon noodle stir fry’. This is now our new best stir fry recipe. The sauce is simple yet delicious. Great way to use up veggies left in your fridge (I used red bell pepper in addition to the carrots and spinach in the recipe). We served this with grilled shrimp skewers… but pretty much any protein would be good in here. Wanted to add to the reviews because when I search for recipes I always read reviews first.

Modified by using soba noodles. Our refrigerator had leftover cooked broccoli and mushrooms. Added onion and the garnishes recommended. We ate it all and are already talking about what else would be good. Great, easy recipe!

I made this for dinner tonight. I used whole wheat linguini. I didn’t add the carrots ( just doubled the spinach). I also cut the spices and sugar down. I only added a smigeon of the spices. a little less of the brown sugar and only a small amount of the Sambal Oelek . I also added a dash of dry sherry. I love this recipe…it’s so customizable to your preferences. It was awesome. PINNED.

Made this last night and it was delicious! Used broccoli slaw and red bell pepper instead of carrots. And was surprised to find Udon noodles at Sobeys, I was prepared to substitute with something else:) Thank you!!!!

Hi, I tried this last night and turned out soo good! It was delicious. I dont cook too much but this was easy to follow and easy to make. Dibs were called on the leftover for school lunch!!! I will definitely try other recipes from this site… Thank you!!

I made this not too long ago, found authentic udon noodles at a specialty store and added marinated chicken. It was one of the best noodle dishes I have ever had! Perfect amount of sauce and spicyness. Definitely will be making again soon :)

I am Colleen, I’m just in the non-Loblaws part of Ontario (Muskoka). The closest I get is an Independent Grocer and shelf stable udon, which are fine, but I’m hoping someday to get my hands on fresh (or even frozen) somewhere close by.

Ohh..we also have an Independent grocer and it was actually the only place I’ve seen fresh udon noodles. Maybe different areas around Ontario have different things. I just use the shelf stable ones and think they are fine for me.

Absolutely wonderful! Doubling the recipe went well. I used the dry noodles. For the veggies I used broccoli, red pepper, green beans, zucchini and sesame garlic fake chicken along with the carrots & onion. I can’t explain how fast this dish went! Thank you!

Amazing! Added red and green cabbage sliced thin, and sliced mushrooms with the spinach. Oh, I also used yakisoba noodles because I couldn’t find udon… (I know, weird!) and with the cilantro, I topped off with chopped green onion and chopped snow peas. Everyone loved it!

Hi Jennifer…I just made this recipe tonight and used some pork in it. I also got my udon noodles at Loblaws (presidents choice) and it was absolutely delicious! I only used 1 tsp. of the sambal oelek and found it to be the just the right amount of heat. (made my nose run anyways..lol) Anyways…thank you very much for this great recipe! I will be making it again and also found it to be “company worthy” as well.

Udon noodles? Are they just back east? I don’t ever recall seeing them in the store. Here I see steam fried noodles or fried noodles. Or suggestions to use vermicelli or spaghetti noodles instead. Where would I look for them?
Would love to try some of these recipes, but don’t know what I could substitute for these noodles. Thanks for your help, and the recipes.

Hi Pat, I’m in Canada and they are quite easily available here. They are soft and packaged in individual serving vacuum packed packages. Because they are soft, they can go straight into the stir fry, without pre-boiling. That said, you can substitute any dried noodle by boiling it first before adding to the stir fry. It obviously will make this dish more work. FYI, I found the type of noodles I’m talking about on amazon.com, if you might like to order some. I love them and they are a great item to have in your pantry for dishes like this! Here’s the link on amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Amoy-Straight-Udon-Thick-Noodles/dp/B00Y2I35QC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1452460989&sr=8-9&keywords=amoy+straight+to+wok

Thank You , I will look them up on Amazon. I too live in Canada, in Kitchener, British Columbia. I have to travel to Creston , B.C. to the nearest stores. We have an Extra Foods and an Overwaitea. I will check to see if I can find them at either of these stores ( I’ll ask the people who stock the shelves, they seem to know more than anyone where to find things.).
Thanks again for the quick reply.

Hi Michelle, When it comes to recipes, I always assume “onion” means yellow cooking onions and I use that assumption when I write recipes, as well. These are really the standard for onions. I rarely use white onions, unless specified in a recipe. Red onion is most often used in recipes where the onion is uncooked, as it is milder and adds great colour to salads etc. If you only want to buy one type of onion, keep an ample supply of yellow cooking onions of various sizes around. You can’t go wrong with that :)

I made these for dinner last night and they were delicious! Followed exactly then added chicken and red peppers to it as well. The sauce is so good! Can’t wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today! Thanks!

So glad you are all enjoying it, Katie! We had it this week, as well. This time I added broccoli and peanuts. It’s a bit different every time I make it, depending on what’s in my fridge that needs using up :)

Nothing is more comforting than a big bowl of noodles. This looks so good, Jennifer! I’ve got several feet of snow to shovel out. Wish someone was making me this so I could come in the house to a warm bowl of stir fry!

Yes! I need to cook with udon more often. I love any noodle, but they have that great udon chew! This sounds so yummy (and meatless)! I need more quick meals in my arsenal like this…. 15 minutes is about all I’ve got so a lot of dinners lately have just been protein shakes! AHK!